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It is the day with the least amount of daylight hours for the year and for pagans it symbolizes the rebirth of the Sun. @font-face { } unicode-range: U+0370-03FF; Mounting evidence is uncovering some of the earliest tool-making, land management (including farming) as well as evidence of being some of the oldest astronomers in the world; who could track tidal changes, animal behaviors, food supply availability and temperature shifts. } src: url(https://fonts.wp.com/s/ibmplexsans/v14/zYX8KVElMYYaJe8bpLHnCwDKhdTmdJZLUdI.woff2) format('woff2'); The Pleiades, in various cultures are seen as seven sisters being pursued, usually by a man or beast. unicode-range: U+0100-024F, U+0259, U+1E00-1EFF, U+2020, U+20A0-20AB, U+20AD-20CF, U+2113, U+2C60-2C7F, U+A720-A7FF; unicode-range: U+0370-03FF; padding: 7px 0 8px; Again, they feature in Christmas culture in hymns and decorations. @font-face { /* greek */ But unlike our more familiar Gregorian calendar, the Mayan calendar consisted of 18 months lasting 20 days each. . unicode-range: U+0301, U+0400-045F, U+0490-0491, U+04B0-04B1, U+2116; Of course, in this age of global capitalism, ourcult of rabid consumerismhas all but supplanted the intended religious significance of the Christmas season; but whatever meaning you may giveit, winter solstice abides. } font-family: 'IBM Plex Sans'; font-style: italic; In Australia, of course, the June date of the Winter Solstice sees a splitting from northern traditions as we honour our own southern hemisphere cycles of nature. Western commonalities like The Pleiades don't stop there. font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; unicode-range: U+0370-03FF; The song of the whales differs from one whale species to another. There are many ways to celebrate this wonderful time of the year. Similarly, the green pine tree commonly associated with Christmas resonates with the evergreen tree that was part of Yule celebration. unicode-range: U+0100-024F, U+0259, U+1E00-1EFF, U+2020, U+20A0-20AB, U+20AD-20CF, U+2113, U+2C60-2C7F, U+A720-A7FF; .a-stats a { font-style: normal; Ring bells and sistrums and play your drums to make merry on this night. /* cyrillic-ext */ Find out more with this link. font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; /* latin */ australian aboriginal winter solstice. /* vietnamese */ font-weight: 700; font-weight: 700; @font-face { font-display: fallback; font-weight: 500; font-family: 'IBM Plex Sans'; font-display: fallback; Of course,half of this great continent is on the flipside of the equator, which means winter solstice actually falls in late June rather than December. Allow the warmth of this, your inner Sun, to warm and nurture your own internal Earth. There's no wrong way to send the energy. font-display: fallback; Scientists have speculated that the Cahokia held rituals to honor the sun as a giver of life and for the new agricultural year. Or as the Zuni Pueblos rituals for all peoples of the earth demonstrate of an ancient understanding of the interconnectedness of the world. font-style: normal; The Min Min lights span the Channel Country crossing three states. In Australia, of course, the June date of the Winter Solstice sees a splitting from northern traditions as we honour our own southern hemisphere cycles of nature. The Blackfeet tribe in Montana, where I am a member, historically kept a calendar of astronomical events. unicode-range: U+0000-00FF, U+0131, U+0152-0153, U+02BB-02BC, U+02C6, U+02DA, U+02DC, U+2000-206F, U+2074, U+20AC, U+2122, U+2191, U+2193, U+2212, U+2215, U+FEFF, U+FFFD; font-display: fallback; unicode-range: U+0102-0103, U+0110-0111, U+0128-0129, U+0168-0169, U+01A0-01A1, U+01AF-01B0, U+1EA0-1EF9, U+20AB; Not all indigenous peoples ritualized the winter solstice with a ceremony. font-style: normal; @font-face { As long as the energy and intent is there at the exact time of the . All three are considered sacred plants at this time of year. @font-face { /* latin-ext */ @font-face { font-style: normal; unicode-range: U+0301, U+0400-045F, U+0490-0491, U+04B0-04B1, U+2116; I now breathe in purified air, which makes a vast difference to my earthly body; the plants, birds, and animals feel the difference in comfort levels humans cannot. font-display: fallback; Sign up for our newsletter and receive the coolest updates! font-style: italic; In terms of daylight, this day is 4 hours, 31 minutes shorter than the December solstice. With the Warlpiri tribe of central Australia, the group of stars are the Napaljarri sisters from one skin group being chased by the Jakamarra man from a different skin group trying to take a wife, forbidden by tribal law. Read on to discover what makes the winter solstice such a unique time of year. The annual whale migration north to the mother whales birthing sites in the warm shallow tropical waters. } @font-face { color: #FFF; font-family: 'IBM Plex Sans'; unicode-range: U+0000-00FF, U+0131, U+0152-0153, U+02BB-02BC, U+02C6, U+02DA, U+02DC, U+2000-206F, U+2074, U+20AC, U+2122, U+2191, U+2193, U+2212, U+2215, U+FEFF, U+FFFD; As a scholar of the environmental and Native American religion, I believe, there is much to learn from ancient religious practices. It is the shortest day and longest night of the year. Thats more or less why were all currently running around finishing up our last minute Christmas shopping. unicode-range: U+0000-00FF, U+0131, U+0152-0153, U+02BB-02BC, U+02C6, U+02DA, U+02DC, U+2000-206F, U+2074, U+20AC, U+2122, U+2191, U+2193, U+2212, U+2215, U+FEFF, U+FFFD; font-family: 'IBM Plex Sans'; The sacred nature of mistletoe finds its origin in ancient Druid rites, where the growth of this plant above the ground was deemed magical. src: url(https://fonts.wp.com/s/ibmplexsans/v14/zYX-KVElMYYaJe8bpLHnCwDKjbLuF6ZJ.woff2) format('woff2'); /* cyrillic-ext */ Honour the new solar year by lighting brightly coloured candles around your home. src: url(https://fonts.wp.com/s/ibmplexsans/v14/zYX9KVElMYYaJe8bpLHnCwDKjWr7AI9sdO_q.woff2) format('woff2'); background-image:-webkit-gradient(linear,0% 0,0% 100%,from(#7CA821),to(#5F8E14)); src: url(https://fonts.wp.com/s/ibmplexsans/v14/zYX7KVElMYYaJe8bpLHnCwDKhdTm2IdccvfuNmo.woff2) format('woff2'); On the longest night of the year we stay up at night, burning gold and red candles and watching a bon fire as we welcome in the sun at dawn. Mistletoe also has associations with fertility, with its deep red berries deemed a potent symbol of the blood of a womans moon cycle. Bright, colourful candles and bonfires will burn through the night to herald the rebirth of the light after this time of darkness is complete. As Mother, She understands Her struggle through the greatest darkness can bring forth the brightest light. font-style: normal; font-family: 'IBM Plex Sans'; font-style: italic; src: url(https://fonts.wp.com/s/ibmplexsans/v14/zYX7KVElMYYaJe8bpLHnCwDKhdTm5IVceffuNmo.woff2) format('woff2'); font-weight: 700; src: url(https://fonts.wp.com/s/ibmplexsans/v14/zYX7KVElMYYaJe8bpLHnCwDKhdTmvIRcePfuNmo.woff2) format('woff2'); font-display: fallback; font-weight: 700; The winter solstice is the day of the year when the Northern Hemisphere has the fewest hours of sunlight and the Southern Hemisphere has the most. For 13 nights, Australians (and Kiwis) from far and wide can find the Opera House illuminated with the six-minute Badu Gili projection of traditional Indigenous art. font-family: 'IBM Plex Sans'; font-style: normal; } } font-weight: 500; font-style: italic; } @font-face { } In more remote indigenous communities throughout the Andes, the celebration has been preserved through the ostensibly Catholic festival of San Juan Bautista, while a recreation of the original pre-Columbian festival takes place every year at the archaeological site Saksaywaman on June 24th. font-family: 'IBM Plex Sans'; /* greek */ font-display: fallback; @font-face { This is a special blog post. unicode-range: U+0301, U+0400-045F, U+0490-0491, U+04B0-04B1, U+2116; font-weight: 100; unicode-range: U+0100-024F, U+0259, U+1E00-1EFF, U+2020, U+20A0-20AB, U+20AD-20CF, U+2113, U+2C60-2C7F, U+A720-A7FF; Mark your calendars. font-weight: 300; font-weight: 600; Out of the darkest and most challenging situations we can choose to grow and evolve, just as a majestic butterfly emerges from the solace of a dark cocoon, awakening and bursting forth into the Suns light and finally exuding the magnificent beauty that has lain hidden within. } font-weight: 500; Nature is resting, yet she is also active. Today is Australia's shortest day of 2022 or the longest night of the year, depending on how you want to look at it. } The latest sunrise in Sydney occurs from the 24th June for 10 days when the Sun rises at 7:21a.m. Yule, or Jul, comes from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning wheel. unicode-range: U+0000-00FF, U+0131, U+0152-0153, U+02BB-02BC, U+02C6, U+02DA, U+02DC, U+2000-206F, U+2074, U+20AC, U+2122, U+2191, U+2193, U+2212, U+2215, U+FEFF, U+FFFD; Designed by font-family: 'IBM Plex Sans'; font-weight: 500; font-weight: 600; /* vietnamese */ In Europe, there are candles galore in every house during December. font-display: fallback; unicode-range: U+0460-052F, U+1C80-1C88, U+20B4, U+2DE0-2DFF, U+A640-A69F, U+FE2E-FE2F; font-display: fallback; unicode-range: U+0460-052F, U+1C80-1C88, U+20B4, U+2DE0-2DFF, U+A640-A69F, U+FE2E-FE2F; font-display: fallback; src: url(https://fonts.wp.com/s/ibmplexsans/v14/zYX9KVElMYYaJe8bpLHnCwDKjWr7AIxsdO_q.woff2) format('woff2'); } } src: url(https://fonts.wp.com/s/ibmplexsans/v14/zYX7KVElMYYaJe8bpLHnCwDKhdTmrINce_fuNmo.woff2) format('woff2'); Yule occurs traditionally on June 21 and is also known as the winter solstice. font-family: 'IBM Plex Sans'; font-family: 'IBM Plex Sans'; Touted as neo-paganism, the tradition of rites honouring the Earth and her cycles now includes a call to embrace guardianship of this bountiful world in which we live. font-display: fallback; src: url(https://fonts.wp.com/s/ibmplexsans/v14/zYX9KVElMYYaJe8bpLHnCwDKjWr7AIJsdO_q.woff2) format('woff2'); font-style: italic; Mother Earth breathes and the land gently rises and falls to her graceful rhythm. /* greek */ font-family: 'IBM Plex Sans'; unicode-range: U+0102-0103, U+0110-0111, U+0128-0129, U+0168-0169, U+01A0-01A1, U+01AF-01B0, U+1EA0-1EF9, U+20AB; They also found that the sun aligns with a different temple mound on summer solstice. font-family: 'IBM Plex Sans'; We can do better. } & Here in south east Queensland, theres a perceptible change. @font-face { font-weight: 100; Wurdi Youang stone arrangement site in Wathaurong country near Ballarat in Victoria has shown through Carbon dating that the arrangement was made some 11,000 years ago. font-display: fallback; src: url(https://fonts.wp.com/s/ibmplexsans/v14/zYX9KVElMYYaJe8bpLHnCwDKjR7_AIFsdA.woff2) format('woff2'); Interestingly, an Australian Aboriginal legend also refers to the fertility of mistletoe: spirit babies, while waiting to be born, hide in mistletoe in the trees. Archaeological evidence suggests that Tano ceremonial grounds were oriented toward the solstices and surmise that their cosmovision gave particular importance to this day though any celebrations that may have coincided with the event are not well documented. 11:58 am. font-family: 'IBM Plex Sans'; On this day, the sun is at its lowest point in the sky, traveling across the sky world above us in a short stride, resulting in the shortest day and the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. font-weight: 600; One way to contribute to the creation of a more abundant and sharing planet Earth is to embrace service, perhaps donating food or clothing, or simply making a pledge to do some volunteer work in the new year. } src: url(https://fonts.wp.com/s/ibmplexsans/v14/zYX9KVElMYYaJe8bpLHnCwDKjQ76AIVsdO_q.woff2) format('woff2'); font-style: normal; font-display: fallback; font-style: italic; } font-style: normal; /* cyrillic */ src: url(https://fonts.wp.com/s/ibmplexsans/v14/zYX8KVElMYYaJe8bpLHnCwDKhdTmdJZIUdLTDw.woff2) format('woff2'); /* cyrillic */ /* latin */ With Aboriginal Australians this is no different. font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; font-weight: 500; src: url(https://fonts.wp.com/s/ibmplexsans/v14/zYX-KVElMYYaJe8bpLHnCwDKhdTuF6ZJ.woff2) format('woff2'); } @font-face { src: url(https://fonts.wp.com/s/ibmplexsans/v14/zYX9KVElMYYaJe8bpLHnCwDKjSL9AIFsdA.woff2) format('woff2'); Each year, expeditioners at Australia's three research stations in Antarctica and on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island celebrate the year's shortest day and longest night by taking a dip in sea ice or the ocean. font-family: 'IBM Plex Sans'; font-display: fallback; border-radius:3px; Revealing a much more sophisticated culture than western history has portrayed it as. font-style: italic; Millie Gounder-Flynn is a certified herbalist, energetic healer, Reiki and Seichim master and holistic writer. font-display: fallback; /* latin */ In western culture, Orion and orions belt is used as a distinguished marker in the sky, the Yolgnu people in Northern Territory see the three stars that outline Orions belt as three brothers in a Canoe (Djulpan) who were banished for eating the sacred kingfish against tribal traditions for eternity. Today, my family still spends the darkest days of winter playing card games and attending the local community dances, much like my grandmother did. Scientist discovered a new whale song in the oceans using anti-nuclear underwater bomb detection. @font-face { unicode-range: U+0370-03FF; @font-face { Subscribe to a newsletter to receive latest post and updates. The mother whale teaches her baby to swim and learn 'whale songs. } Interpreted by the indigenous tribes of a mother in the sky who dropped her baby while dancing, now the mother (the evening star), and father (the morning star) are looking for their baby, indigenous children are warned not to look at the stars. font-display: fallback; It is also traditionally a month when the Maya refrain from bathing in order to avoid contaminating the water and allow mother earth a rest. font-display: fallback; /* latin-ext */ src: url(https://fonts.wp.com/s/ibmplexsans/v14/zYX9KVElMYYaJe8bpLHnCwDKjQ76AI5sdO_q.woff2) format('woff2'); So heres a look at some indigenous winter solstice celebrations from around the continent lost, recovered, and in some cases, unbroken so you can celebrate the holidays with the ancestors. That is why in the southern hemisphere the June Solstice is known as the winter solstice or hibernal solstice. unicode-range: U+0460-052F, U+1C80-1C88, U+20B4, U+2DE0-2DFF, U+A640-A69F, U+FE2E-FE2F; To realign with cyclic melody and set our souls free . font-weight: 300; font-style: italic; html:not( .jetpack-lazy-images-js-enabled ):not( .js ) .jetpack-lazy-image {